1. Poverty and Life Chances – a moving landscape?
VONNE Annual Conference 1 December 2016

2. Seeing the Whole Picture
Welfare Reform and Work Act
Childcare Act
30 hours of free childcare
Children and Social Work Bill

4. Poverty – more than finances/economics
Social
Physical
Intellectual
Cultural
Emotional
Spiritual

5. Adverse Child Experiences
Abuse – Physical, Emotional, Sexual
Neglect – Physical, Emotional
Household Dysfunction – Mental Illness, Mother treated violently, Divorce, Incarcerated Relative, Substance Abuse

6. Life Chances Strategy Worklessness Family Breakdown
Educational Failure
Addiction
Serious Personal Debt
Causes or Consequences?
Financial poverty’s interplay with these
Life Chances Strategy – Just About Managing

7. Children’s Society Low Income or Debt Mental Health and Wellbeing
Education and Skills
Physical Health and Nutrition
Housing and Homelessness
Durable solution for refugees and migrants
(Equal opportunity for those in care)

8. Improving Children’s Life Chances
(Child Poverty Action Group Nov ’16)
High quality early education and care
Adequate family incomes
Lower costs for families
Better homes and living environments
Support for families
Effective children’s health and wellbeing services
Education system that works for all children
Support for young people’s transition to adulthood

9. A Moving Picture?
Moving – in that it should ‘move’ us with compassion, indignation, action
Moving – in that we will need to keep learning about the interplay of all factors
Moving – in that we will need to hold to account the Life Chance Strategy to watch for moving goalposts

10. Poverty
Every child…
should live in a family that is able to afford the basic essentials
need for decent living standards must be at the heart of any parental employment strategy
should be able to make the most of their learning and development
should have a secure and warm home
should have enough food to keep them healthy and help them grow
helped to recognise their value, to dream and to fulfil their God given potential. Every child to know they are loved

11. “Poverty robs people of dignity, hope and the power to determine their own future.”
Poverty Over – Christian Aid